Department for Transport

P&O Ferries: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implicationsfor connectivity within the UK of P&O Ferries' decision to cease its ferry operations from Larne to Cairnryan.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Officials have been working at pace to ensure vital capacity is secured. I am grateful to other ferry companies that have stepped up to provide the ferry capacity that has been temporarily - and at no notice - taken out of the market by P&O Ferries. We have assurances that DFDS, Irish Ferries (with eight vessels between them) have sufficient capacity to accommodate both freight and passenger vehicles in the coming days, including on the Larne to Cairnryan route, albeit with some delays.

Department of Health and Social Care

Care Quality Commission: Complaints

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to grant the Care Quality Commission the authority to investigate individual complaints.

Lord Kamall: We have no plans to do so. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigates individual complaints about adult social care services, whereas the Care Quality Commission monitors, inspects and regulates health and care services to ensure they meet standards of quality and safety. While independent, the two organisations share information where appropriate.

NHS Trusts: Energy

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of rising energy costs on the budgets of NHS Trusts; and how they plan to address these cost pressures.

Lord Kamall: No formal assessment has yet been made.

Long Covid: Health Services

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage GPs to develop expertise in Long Covid to enable them to help patients suffering with this condition.

Lord Kamall: On 11 November 2021 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network published COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing the long-term effects of COVID-19. This guidance addresses the identification and management of post-COVID-19 syndrome in all healthcare settings, including primary care. A copy of the guidance is attached.NHS England and NHS Improvement have also worked with the Royal College of General Practitioners to produce advice for general practitioners in the management of the long-term effects of COVID-19 and with Health Education England to produce e-learning modules on COVID-19 recovery and rehabilitation to support the educational development of healthcare professionals.A one-year enhanced service for general practice aims to increase knowledge on identifying, assessing, referring and supporting patients experiencing the long term effects of COVID-19. NHS England and NHS Improvement are also developing a plan to further clarify the role of general practice, which is due for publication in spring 2022.COVID-19 rapid guideline (pdf, 1329.4KB)

Inivos: Protective Clothing

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written AnswersbyLord Kamall on 26 January (HL5352), 10 February (HL5960), and 23 March (HL6213), whether they have notified the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regarding the concerns around Inivos sterile surgical gowns.

Lord Kamall: The Department has notified the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regarding the Inivos surgical gowns.

Department for Education

Kurdish Language: GCSE

Lord McNicol of West Kilbride: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a GCSE course in the Kurdish language; and what support the Department for Education provides for the teaching of this language.

Baroness Barran: There are no current plans to add additional language GCSEs to the existing range of subjects. It is exam boards who are responsible for deciding, based on the existing modern foreign languages subject content, which language GCSEs are offered. The government would support an exam board in developing a language GCSE, including in Kurdish, if the board considered there was a strong case to do so, including sufficient demand.It is up to schools to decide which languages are taught as part of their curriculum in both primary and secondary schools. There are several supplementary schools in England which teach Kurdish to children and young people outside of their regular schooling, where parents may choose to send their children for Kurdish tuition. Further information on supplementary schools can be found on the National Resource Centre for Supplementary Education’s website at: www.supplementaryeducation.org.uk.

Voluntary Schools: Governing Bodies

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have given to diocesan authorities about their powers to remove diocesan-appointed governors of voluntary aided schools where the governors decline to support diocesan policy.

Baroness Barran: The department has not issued any guidance to diocesan authorities about their powers to remove foundation governors, referenced as diocesan-appointed governors in this written parliamentary question.

Pupils: Absenteeism

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Children's Commissioner for England reportWhereare England’s Children? Interim findings from the Children’s Commissioner’s Attendance Audit, published on 9 March, what steps they plan to take to identify (1) how many children are currently missing from school, (2) why some pupils have never returned to school following the (a) 2020, and (b) 2021, lockdowns, and (3) those children who aremost at risk of falling through the gaps in education.

Baroness Barran: The department welcomes the recent report into children regularly missing school from the Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel De Souza. Regular attendance at school is vital for children’s education, wellbeing, and long-term development.Detailed pupil absence data is collected as part of the school census and published on a termly basis and the latest statistics will be published later this week. All absence data for England, including data at regional and local authority level, is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/.The department has also recently launched a new live attendance data pilot which will help us identify and support schools where pupils are not regularly attending, and improve the flow of data between schools, academy trusts and local authorities.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, recently established an alliance of national leaders from education, children’s social care and allied services to work together to raise school attendance and reduce persistent absence. The Attendance Action Alliance has pledged to take a range of actions to remove barriers preventing children attending school. More information on the Alliance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/education-secretary-launches-new-attendance-alliance.The department has also committed to a register for children not in school as part of our response to consultation. This will help local authorities undertake their existing duties to ensure children receive a suitable education and help safeguard all children who are in scope.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the 2021 Spending Review, by how much funding for early years entitlement schemes will increase for (1) 2022–23, (2) 2023–24, and (3) 2024–25.

Baroness Barran: In the Spending Review 2021, and the written ministerial statement of 25 November 2021, the department stated that increases in investments in the upcoming financial years of 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25 are all presented individually in comparison to the current financial year 2021-22. This investment reflects anticipated cost pressures and changes in the number of eligible children, as forecast at the time of the Spending Review.For the financial year 2022-23, the government is increasing the hourly funding rates for all local authorities by 21p an hour for the two-year-old entitlement and, for most areas, by 17p an hour for the three and four-year-old entitlements.Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) projects a decrease in the 0- to 4-year-old population of around 5% from mid-2022 to mid-2025. Consideration of this information can provide an accurate picture of what the funding settlement entails.Announcement of the local authorities’ early years funding rates for the 2023-24 financial year will be made  next autumn, and in the following autumn for the financial year 2024-25, ahead of local authorities commencing business planning rounds for these financial years.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

China: Diplomatic Relations

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Prime Minister last spoke to President Xi Jinping of China to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary spoke with her Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi, on Friday 25 February. In the call, the Foreign Secretary underlined that the UK expects China to stand up for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and urged China to uphold its commitment to the UN Charter.

Vladimir Putin: War Crimes

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with (1) NATO partners, and (2) the government of the USA, regarding whether to designate President Putin a war criminal due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK continues to work intensively with our allies and partners, including the US, to make clear to the Russian Government that we will not accept its campaign to subvert its democratic neighbour.The UK has led efforts to bring together allies to expedite an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the situation in Ukraine, through state party referral. With 37 countries joining the UK, it is the largest referral in the history of the ICC.Indiscriminate attacks against innocent civilians amounts to war crimes, for which the Putin regime must be held accountable. There is very strong evidence that war crimes have been committed and Putin is behind them. This is ultimately however a matter for the ICC to decide.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister offered any assistance to the proposed Yemen peace talks at his meeting with the Crown Prince ofthe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, in Riyadh on 16 March.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: A negotiated political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and end the humanitarian suffering. The UK will continue to use its diplomatic relations and role as penholder on Yemen in the UN Security Council to support efforts towards political dialogue and peace. The UK supports fully the efforts of the UN Special Envoy, and the UK continues to encourage the parties to engage constructively with those efforts.

Russia: Diplomatic Relations

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe benefits of maintaining full diplomatic relations with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine by that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There can be no normalisation in our relationship with Russia while it threatens the UK and our allies. We will not accept the campaign that Russia is waging to subvert its democratic neighbours. We do however need to maintain a robust diplomatic framework that allows us to manage disagreements, defend our values and co-operate where our interests align.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Lord Tyrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatconsideration they have given to a no-fly zone in Ukrainian airspace, limited to humanitarian corridors.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Enforcing a no-fly zone would very likely lead to direct combat between NATO and Russian jets. The risks of escalation would be extremely high, and the potential consequences would be catastrophic for the entire world - including Ukraine. A no-fly zone would also apply to Ukrainian aircraft, preventing them from attacking from the air and allowing the vast Russian ground forces to move around freely.

Central Bank of the Russian Federation: Freezing of Assets

Lord Tyrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they have taken to ensure that the freeze on the Central Bank of Russia’s external assets is not circumvented by transactions through central banks of other countries.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The measures introduced on 1 March against the Central Bank of Russia, the Russian National Wealth Fund and the Russian Ministry of Finance prevent UK persons from providing financial services related to foreign exchange reserves or asset management to these persons or persons acting on their behalf or their direction. This action was taken in coordination with the EU and the US, who have introduced similar restrictions. This will prevent the Russian Central Bank from deploying its foreign reserves in ways that undermine the impact of sanctions imposed by us and our allies, and to undercut its ability to engage in foreign exchange transactions to support the Russian rouble.

Climate Change: Water Supply

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the scale of the threat to global security as a result of restricted access to water due to climate change; and what steps they are taking, together with international partners, to ensure that essential water resources are protected.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's latest report is clear that the effects of climate change have not been felt equally across the world, and this trend will continue. Water scarcity is one of the ways people are most likely to experience climate change. Our latest assessments can be found on the Knowledge For Development Water Learning Journey website (K4D Learning Journey on Water Security (ids.ac.uk)). They show that water can be a risk or threat multiplier for conflict and instability, and a trigger for conflict at the local level. Water shortages can compound existing fragilities and social stressors making conflict or migration more likely.The UK recognises the importance of ensuring that countries most vulnerable to climate change can respond to the risks they face, including those related to water. We are supporting a number of initiatives that help to improve water security and from a range of angles including policy and regulation, investment, and water footprints.For instance last week we launched the 'Al Murunah' project in the Middle East and North Africa region, the world's most water-scarce region. The project aims to increase water security through the integration of resilient nature-based solutions.The UK also funds the Transboundary Water Programme, supporting countries in southern Africa to manage their shared water resources (rivers, lakes and groundwater) for economic development and contribute to climate resilience and poverty reduction.In addition, we are funding the development and piloting of the new 'Water Tracker', led by the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation, which is being used by developing country governments to integrate water resilience within their national climate plans.

Ministry of Defence

Ukraine: Military Aid

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in response to the war in Ukraine, what plans they have, if any, (1)to fill shortages in weapons stocks held by UK armed services, (2) to bring ships, aircraft and any vehicles up to their latest state of modification and maintenance in order to be ready for operations, (3) to speed up delivery of platforms and weapons systems already in procurement pipelines, (4) to call upreserves forcertain specialist tasks that are currently gapped, and (5) to strengthen the training pipeline in preparation for a greater volume of recruits.

Baroness Goldie: The MOD proactively manages its stocks of weapons and munitions to ensure that existing and new Armed Forces’ commitments can be met, including any provision to Ukraine. The Government recognises the need for rapid modernisation of our Armed Forces. The Defence Command Paper outlined the Department’s commitment to rapid modernisation, shipbuilding, and accelerated Research and Development and plans to achieve strategic advantage. Our Armed Forces will become more agile and adaptable, to respond at pace to emerging threats. Delivery schedules for platforms and weapons are under continual review and subject to adjustment in accordance with evolving Defence requirements. As an integral part of the Armed Forces, Reservists are routinely used for military commitments whenever it makes sense to use the capability that they provide. Military workforce levels are set in line with capability requirements as set out in the Defence Plan and are reviewed on this basis. This in turn sets the requirement for recruitment and training pipelines which are adjusted to ensure Defence Plan commitments are met.

Ukraine: MiG-25 Aircraft

Lord Tyrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the governments of (1) Poland, and (2) the United States of America, to facilitate the transfer of MiG-25s to Ukraine.

Baroness Goldie: The UK has not been approached formally by Ukraine to provide or backfill aircraft and therefore has made no representations to the governments of Poland, and the United States of America, to facilitate the transfer of MiG-25s to Ukraine.However, the MOD is currently discussing all aspects of support with the Government of Ukraine. We are committed to supporting Ukraine to defend itself against Russia's illegal and unjustified aggression, and to helping our allies to do the same. Decisions on what defensive support to provide rests with individual governments.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to supply high-altitude anti-aircraft weapons to Ukrainian forces.

Baroness Goldie: We were the first European country to send defensive weapons; we have already donated more than 4,200 next generation light anti-tank weapons and are now exploring the option of supplying Javelin missiles.In response to Ukrainian requests, the Government have taken the decision to supply Starstreak high-velocity, man-portable anti-air missiles to allow the Ukrainian forces to better defend their skies.The UK will continue to review Ukrainian requests and work with our Allies and partners to enhance Ukraine's ability to defend itself.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Foxes: Urban Areas

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made, if any, of the number of foxes currently living in urban areas; and whether this population has (1) increased, or (2) decreased, since 2017.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Current estimates are that there are about 255,000 foxes in England of which about half live in urban areas, giving an estimated urban population of about 127,500. There has been no assessment of trend in fox populations for the period since 2017.

Home Office

Visas: Ukraine

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Ukrainiancitizens already in the UK who hold a Leave to Remain residence permit are able to fast-track applications for UK visas for family members who have fled the war in Ukraine.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: People in the UK with at least six months immigration leave are able to sponsor Ukrainian nationals and their family members to the UK.Information on the scheme van be found at the GOV.UK website: Apply for a visa under the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

P&O Ferries: Migrant Workers

Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with P&O Ferries about the (1) immigration status, and (2) right to work in the UK, of the replacement workers they are reportedly hiring; what assessment they have made of the right to work in the UK of these workers; and, of the workers of foreign nationality hired by P&O Ferries, what were the immigration routes by which they have been admitted to the UK.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: There are ongoing discussions between P&O Ferries and HM Government.It is the Government’s policy that all migrants coming to work in UK territorial waters (i.e., 12 nautical miles), or on the UK landmass, need permission to work unless exemptions apply. Conversely, if they are working outside of UK territorial waters then permission to work is not required.Seafarers who earn a living by working on a ship such as seamen or crew members do not need permission to work if they are in transit (under contract) to join a ship or are in transit as part of a crew, subject to entry requirements.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

DP World: Freeports

Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toreview the award of freeport status to DP World owned assets in (1) London, and (2) Southampton.

Lord Greenhalgh: On 28 March 2022 DP World resigned from the Solent Freeport Board and are no longer a partner in the Freeport consortium.The Government is working to urgently understand the facts of what happened in this case and establish whether DP World are in breach of any of the requirements on them as investors in the Thames Freeport.Freeports are expected to receive around £25 million seed capital, paid to a local authority and to be invested at sites within the Freeport geography. Release of funding is subject to approval of a Full Business Case and currently no Full Business Cases have been approved.